President-elect Muhammadu Buhari at the
weekend said only credible, patriotic and
knowledgeable Nigerians would make up the
transition committee, as part of the first steps to
chart an entirely new path for the country.
Screening of members of the transition
committee, which will meet with a similar
committee from the presidency on the handover
from the Goodluck Jonathan administration to the
incoming Buhari-led government,
THISDAY learnt, is being handled by, among
others, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who was Buhari’s
running mate in the 2011 presidential election.
After the screening process, Buhari, it was also
gathered, would personally interview each of the
members of the committee, as there is the major
likelihood that a few of them would be elevated to
ministerial posts in his federal cabinet when he
takes over as president.
Buhari also assured members of the other
political parties, who have been defecting to the
All Progressives Congress (APC) of justice in the
party, regardless of the misgivings about their
former parties.
Speaking with reporters at his country home in
Daura, Katsina State, shortly after casting his
ballot in the governorship and House of
Assembly elections, Buhari said Nigeria’s problem
has been one of lack of accountability and a
terrible budgetary system, which has resulted in
the death of institutions.
Buhari, who is averse to an unduly large
transition committee to prevent members from
capitalising on it to influence the choice of
ministers either for themselves or those they
want to be ministers, maintained that round pegs
would be put in round holes.
“My hope as well as my idea is to get
knowledgeable and experienced technocrats that
are really patriotic to study the handover notes by
ministries and make recommendations.
“I want them to be completely detached people
who are patriotic Nigerians, who are
knowledgeable and experienced.
“If we get majority of politicians involved, it will
lead to rows and we may end up with
inconclusive recommendations, which are not
very helpful in our condition.
“When I get it ready and before it is published, I
will show it to the leadership of my party and the
terms of reference, as well as the time limit and
the result of their work.
“We will quickly study the recommendations
before the inauguration so that before we are
sworn in, we get into action,” he said.
On the state of the nation, Buhari said: “It is a
difficult time for Nigerians as you all know. I have
said it in the past that in the last 16 years, Nigeria
has never realised the amount of revenue it
received. A barrel of crude oil rose to about $140
and has crashed to about $50 now.
“During the 16 years, we knew some big
companies that employed a lot of Nigerians and
gave them training facilities like the Nigeria
Airways and the Nigeria Shipping Line.
“Even the Nigerian Railways is managing to be on
paper with some refurbished engines moving
from Lagos to Ibadan and a few other places. But
if you go to their stations all over the country,
you will realise that they are in a terrible shape.
“The important thing in a country with a huge
population of youths, with more than 60 per cent
of them under the age of 30 who are
unemployed, is that you need these institutions to
give jobs and training to Nigerians.
“It is very disappointing that the PDP government
virtually failed to use those resources to make
sure that the economy continues to grow in a
sustainable way.
“I think the worst thing is the lack of
accountability and the terrible budgetary system.
Imagine that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s budget
is spent on recurrent spending.
“How can you sustain development in a
developing country like Nigeria with only about 10
per cent of your income going to capital
spending? Things just have to change.”
On the gale of defections in the aftermath of the
presidential election, Buhari said: “I think that this
is mainly a question meant for the party. I wish
Chief John Oyegun was here to answer you,
because we have a system.
“Just because I was the presidential candidate and
now president-elect, I don’t think that the system
has allowed me to usurp the power of the party
executives.
“But certainly, in a multi-party democratic
system, fundamentally, it is the number that
matters for the people. But for the party, what
matters is the ability to manage the number so
that the majority will have its way, so that there
will be justice.
“No matter what the remnants from the PDP by
May 29, I assure you or I assure them through
you that there will be justice in APC.”
Addressing some of the issues that attended the
outcome of the just concluded governorship and
House of Assembly elections, Buhari specifically
complained about a few unsavoury
developments in some parts of the country like in
Rivers State but asked that the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) be allowed
to give its comprehensive report first.
“I personally want to be legal about this so that
people will appreciate that we believe in a system.
What we need to do is to modify the system
according to the law if we don't like it, and that no
one should come out and do to the system
whatever he likes. I have a lot of respect for the
governor of Rivers State (Chibuike Amaechi) for
his courage.
“It has been a long time and as you all know, at a
certain time, the former Commissioner of Police
virtually hijacked the state and the governor was
virtually sentenced to the streets fighting thugs
without law enforcement agents to survive as a
governor, while the constitution made it very
clear to all of us that the governor is the chief
security officer of the state.
“So a lot of unconstitutional and lawless acts of
the PDP are on record and we intend to make the
PDP understand it and make sure that according
to law, those who are responsible for that are
taken to the courts and properly charged.
“We are in this system because we believe in it
and we want it to be stabilised because it is better
for our country,” he said.
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